Two sides still far apart in faculty strike at Oshawa’s Ontario Tech University

Talks between the Ontario Tech Faculty Association and the university are set to resume at one pm today but critics are asking why the two sides can’t get back to the table sooner.

As one student and budding professor noted, “if they can schedule classes for 8 am, they can schedule bargaining as well.”

If @ontariotech_u is serious about getting students back into the classroom, why wait until 1pm to start bargaining tomorrow? Why does it feel like the @UOITFA is the only one taking the responsibility to end the strike seriously?

Help end the strike: https://t.co/dIQMZFxrSZ

— UOIT Faculty (@UOITFA) February 14, 2022

If they can schedule classes for 8 AM, they can schedule bargaining for 8 AM as well…

— Erik Allen (@belakfan3) February 14, 2022

The university and the school’s 281 full-time faculty have been at an impasse since February 10 when the faculty, represented by the University of Ontario Institute of Technolgy Faculty Assocation (FA) walked off the job and set up picket lines at the north Oshawa school.

The university said they “continued their discussions” over the weekend and chose Monday at 1 pm  to continue negotiations.

They also questioned the FA’a dedication to getting a deal done, saying it was the faculty association who left talks just prior to the weekend.

“We are uncertain as to why the FA opted to adjourn the meeting and why a tentative deal couldn’t have been finalized tonight,” the school declared in a statement Friday. “The university has remained at the table throughout negotiations and we will continue to bargain with the FA whenever they make themselves available. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

We continued our discussions with the FA over the weekend with an aim to get students back in the classroom.

We’ll all sit down again on Monday at 1 p.m. in an effort to reach a fair deal. pic.twitter.com/d3FUyNELLY

— Ontario Tech University (@ontariotech_u) February 13, 2022

The FA has asked that the dispute go to a third party for binding arbitration but the university has so far refused, raising the ire of faculty and students who are anxious to bet back to class.

What is the point of this @ontariotech_u❓If both sides can’t find a middle ground, then let’s stop wasting time and just send the issue to #bindingArbitrationNOW so we can end the strike. https://t.co/jdapykYZgn

— Dr. Vivian Stamatopoulos (@DrVivianS) February 13, 2022

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Faculty members on the picket lines say Ontario Tech has not budged on several important sticking points in the dispute, including workload, class size and retirement packages, and are willing to stay on strike until those demands are met.

The work of professors is a key source of @ontariotech_u’s value. Without them, a university is nothing, a brand without substance, a concept without commitment, a slogan without passion, an ideal without a catalyst, buildings without people. #ONstrikeU #GetUsBackInTheClassroom

— UOIT Faculty (@UOITFA) February 13, 2022